The Motivation Muscle
This journal is written to help you stop looking for motivation and start using what you’ve already got. I’ll teach you how to grow your motivation muscle and better yet, how to flex it.
When I began working in the fitness industry it became very apparent that the biggest muscle people doubted their ability to grow was their motivation muscle.
I’ve had comments from clients like "I'm just not a motivated person" or " I really struggle to find motivation" or " I haven't found the right kind of movement that motivates me" .. sound familiar? Now, would you say you just don’t have the right bicep to grow? No.
This is something I tell my clients that has helped them to strengthen their motivation muscle.
Firstly, hence the title of this journal, think about your motivation as a muscle. Make it an actual physical thing, visualize it, make it a big strong muscle or long and lean, whatever you desire. Now let’s flex it.
Let’s think about the basics, how do you grow a muscle? You train it, you let it rest and you fuel it with good nutrition to support its growth and recovery.
So now let's break down what our motivational muscle needs:
Training: Just like any other muscle, the more you train the stronger it will get. How? Plan your movement for the week ahead and STICK TO IT! Everytime you plan to do movement and you follow through you are strengthening that muscle. NOW THIS PART IS IMPORTANT.. Remember that everytime you bail on the movement you planned to do you are strengthening your unmotivated muscle and making it easier to skip next time. Instead of saying no, negotiate a solution that will fix the issue for why you can't/don't want to train.
Rest: Just like with exercise you need rest, if you try to be motivated 7 days a week for 52 weeks of the year chances are you’ll wind up exhausted. In order to create balance and have the energy to be motivated you need to know how to unwind and when to rest. Think about the good old 80/20 rule. - Incase you don’t know, 80% motivation and 20% rest.
Fuel: Just like any good fitness program, in order for it to work you need the right fuel to keep you going. Your motivation fuel is all to do with your environment. If you are trying to eat less processed foods and sugar, would you have your cupboards filled with junk? Nope. So tidy up your environment to meet your movement needs, get the right shoes for running, a comfortable mat, a quiet space to roll it out. Be picky with what information you consume, start to digest information that will help you reach your goals, books on the topic, podcast, audiobooks, walks and talks with friends with similar goals and interests, maybe this journal piece?
In conclusion:
If you struggle to find motivation that’s because it’s not something you can see, it's something you do. While it’s great to look to others for inspiration, if you are looking for motivation you need to get comfortable with doing. It shouldn’t be something someone else does, it should be something you are doing.
This rule doesn’t just apply to fitness, it applies to any desired outcome you are looking to achieve. Try applying it to other healthy habits like eating more fruit and vegetables, drinking less alcohol or getting to bed earlier. The more consistent you are at doing ‘the thing’ the faster you will form a habit that you will feel motivated to do more often.
Written by Angelique Innes - Co-Founder of FORMode Wellness